by Risk, Mona
He hadn’t had a choice then because of his family, and he didn’t have a choice now. Because of Paulito.
Things had to work out. Dios, he would transform himself into a dedicated, loving father and raise Paulito the way Carlos would have wanted. No matter what it took.
CHAPTER FOUR
On her way to the fellows’ office, Holly realized she’d forgotten to tell Marc that Paulito’s fever had dropped. She strode back down the hallway and took the elevator to the seventh floor where the attending physicians had their offices.
She knocked on Marc’s door, a shy tapping she hardly heard herself. Why hesitate? She only wanted to reassure him about his nephew, but coming twice to his office within a few hours was too much. Especially after she’d tried to quarantine herself from him for five long weeks.
And now she was seeking him.
Professionally. Only professionally.
She sucked in a deep breath and fisted her hand to knock again. The door opened before her knuckles connected with the wood.
“Holly? Come in.”
“I just wanted to tell you Paulito’s fever has dropped.” She delivered her message in a quick, steady voice from the threshold, without looking at him. Rooted to the floor, she debated whether to enter or not.
“Good. I’m glad he’s already started to improve. I was about to go to the NICU to give you some papers concerning the baby. The birth certificate and a power of attorney. Just in case. Please, have a seat.”
He was calm, controlled just as she expected he’d be. She relaxed, followed him inside and slipped into the only chair in the small room. He sifted through the papers strewn across his desk then tucked some sheets into a folder and handed it to her.
“I’ll keep them in a safe place.” She nodded, pleased that he finally sought her help in a tangible way.
“Holly, is the baby going to be too much work? Additional responsibilities?”
She shrugged. Since when did she worry about responsibility or work? She was used to tackling heavy workloads. “I can handle it.”
“Thank you. I’ll call often to check if you need anything.”
She froze, suddenly aware this baby would create an unwelcome bond between her and his uncle. “Uh-ho...No need. It’s expensive all the way from Puerto Rico to here.”
“Still.” He perched a hip on his desk and leaned forward. His dark eyes bored into her, questioning. “I wonder...I haven’t seen much of you outside the OR since I came back to WCH?”
So, he’d noticed she’d been avoiding him. She tensed and tilted her chin up. “I was swamped, you know, OR, night shifts, my studies.”
He frowned. “I wouldn’t want to burden you with the extra charge of the baby.”
She was making a fine mess with her excuses. “It’s only for a couple of weeks.”
“Are you sure? You never seem to be around at hospital gatherings.” He arched an eyebrow, telling her in no uncertain terms that he’d drill the truth out of her. “How long do you have left on your fellowship?”
Ah, the Board of Neonatology.
The most important goal of her life. She’d almost forgotten about it in the last twenty-four hours. “Just one year. I’ll take my exams next April, and then—”
“The sky’s the limit. I’ve been there. I can still remember the impatience of the final months before getting my specialization license. I’ll help you.” His stern attitude relaxed as he reached down and squeezed her hand.
“Thanks.” Heat radiated to her throat. He’d help? Or...distract? She’d rather not tempt fate. She pulled her hand away and realized she’d never had a chance to ask why he came back to D.C. “How come you’re here? Working in sunny Puerto Rico didn’t agree with you?”
“I enjoyed San Juan for a while.”
“Don’t tell me you got fed up with swimming in the Caribbean Sea?” She couldn’t suppress a lopsided grin.
“Of course not. I didn’t have time for the beach. Too many responsibilities at home.”
She frowned, taken aback by his snort.
“There aren’t enough doctors in San Juan. And too many sick people live in poverty. I worked at the hospital during the day. At night, I ran a free clinic.”
The handsome, perfectly groomed Marc drudging in the slums of Puerto Rico? Was this the same Marc she’d known seven years ago, the heartthrob of the hospital who used to collect sports’ trophies and nurses’ kisses?
“So what brought you to WCH?”
Years ago, their dates had consisted of a few hours stolen out of their busy schedules for a fast-food dinner or a football game, followed by a passionate tumble. No time to waste on useless chats during their time together.
Seven dates.
She grimaced. Cripes, she could still recite the exact days and hours she went out with Marc, hoping she’d be the one he’d meet at the altar eventually. Her jaws clenched painfully. How could she have been so naïve?
“The hospital made me an offer I couldn’t refuse.”
I bet. WCH had headhunted for several months for an eminent anesthesiologist. “I’m sure you’ll find the work quite challenging here.”
“I hope so. In addition to a clinical practice and residents’ training, I’ll be able to spend my free time doing research.”
“Free time?” Holly shook her head. “Never heard of it in this place.” Maybe he could teach her how to handle a thirty-hour day with a smile on her face. Hmm, on second thought she’d better keep her distance. The magnetism of his smile could reach deep into a woman’s heart.
But Marc had lost his legendary smile a few hours ago, that seductive smile that sent her pulse into overdrive. He straightened and moved to sit behind his desk. His gaze dropped to the picture still lying upside down on the desk. He picked it up and stared at it, his face contorting into a mask of pain.
“Carlos and Lydia moved here three years ago. I wanted to be close to them. Carlos was working on a Ph.D. in Engineering. As you know, Lydia was having problems with her pregnancy.” Marc raised his head, the sadness in his eyes grasping at her heart. “I will never forget your kindness toward her.”
“Please, don’t mention it.”
She was extending sympathy and support, and he was offering gratitude. She almost laughed with bitterness. Darn, what happened to healthy feelings of attraction and love? Not for you, my dear. Remember your board exams.
The picture trembled in his hand. “It’s too late now, anyway.”
“You have...had just one brother?”
“One brother and four sisters. Three married, each with three or four kids, and the youngest one in med school. Abuelita didn’t allow her to leave Puerto Rico. Our mother was killed in a car accident fifteen years ago. Papa survived but remained paralyzed. He died two years ago.” Marc’s eyebrows knitted in a frown as his finger skimmed the happy couple in the picture. “A lot of responsibilities,” he muttered under his breath, his voice hoarse and bitter. “Accidents seem to be the curse of our family.”
“I’m sorry, Marc.” A surge of pity flooded her heart as she stared into his brown, velvet eyes.
Pity? And an unexplainable feeling she wasn’t brave enough to analyze.
She clasped her hands in her lap, afraid she’d try to console Marc again. The wrong way. She trailed her gaze down his straight profile, firm chin, and sensual mouth. He was handsome as sin, even in his sorrow.
A rational inner voice screamed at her to recall her self-control stat. “I have to go to the NICU.” She stood, adjusted her scrubs.
He rose from his chair and came toward her. His Adam’s apple worked in his throat. “Holly, we’re starting a new chapter now.”
Oh, no. She took a step back and swallowed a gasp. Not a new chapter, not a page, or even a line with Marc, outside work. She squinted at him, but there was no sign of humor in his face. Little lines she’d never noticed before creased the corners of his mouth. “What do you mean?”
“Can we forget the past and start fresh?�
��
“Start what?”
He raised his hands, palms out. “A good working camaraderie. Maybe an honest friendship between two doctors? We can help each other. What do you say?”
She arched an eyebrow. “I get along well with my colleagues. Even if I don’t get as close to them as you do.”
“Touché,” he said, accepting her sarcasm. “So, you won’t continue your disappearing act when we’re outside the OR?”
She tilted her head, sighed, and immediately smiled to hide her embarrassment. Good colleagues working together in the delivery room was all she’d been able to handle so far. But now, she’d make an effort to socialize. She’d already stopped avoiding him since the accident. “I’ll be around.”
His eyebrows gathered in a scowl, he walked her to the door and paused. “Your sympathy has helped so much.”
Her hand on the knob, she faced him and nodded.
“Thank you, Holly.” Marc gently rubbed his fingers along her jaw. “I appreciate all you’re doing.”
She instinctively pressed her cheek against the long fingers and then jerked away as her face heated, her throat warmed, her pulse raced.
All he needed was a hug from a caring friend. She heaved a deep breath, inhaled his healthy masculine scent and a hint of lemon fragrance, and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. “You’re welcome, Marc. Holler if you need me.”
Marc narrowed his eyes, her last words churning in his guts. “Ah, I need you, all right.” He brought her hard against him.
She threw her head back, eyes wide and turquoise. A bewildered expression spread over her face, but her limpid gaze reflected the same desire that simmered through his blood.
The wrong time, the wrong place, the wrong reason.
His brain screamed no. His body tensed, throbbing against her softness. “Damn it, woman. I need you so much.” He lowered his head and met her parted lips.
“Oh, Marc,” she murmured, their hearts drumming together as she laced her fingers behind his neck.
He crushed his mouth to hers. Hunger and despair mingled in his demanding kiss. She responded with the same passion he’d tasted seven years ago. The same fervor he’d eagerly wished to recapture in the last few weeks.
She pulled back to drag in air. His lips abandoned hers and trailed along her jaw, while his fingers played with a lock of her hair. She didn’t move out of his embrace but met his gaze with a question in her eyes.
He groaned, squeezing her against him. She was his anchor to sanity. Blocking the memory of last night, the agonizing hurt, he let his lust submerge his pain. Without hesitation, without taking the time to tease or taste, he devoured her lips like a starving man.
She moaned, an erotic whimper that snapped him back to the gloomy present.
He looked at her, sucked in a heavy breath and released her. How had he been able to stay away from her for so long? He’d had no choice. His family had needed him.
“You can’t believe how I’ve missed you all these years.”
“No, Marc. You didn’t miss me. And this was a mistake.” She slid back behind her icy mask of the last five weeks and snatched the door open.
He pursed his lips, grasping the unspoken feelings. She resented him for letting their long distance relationship dwindle and die a slow death. Maybe he should mention he had overwhelming responsibilities. “Holly, I want to tell you—”
“Don’t, please.” Her chin raised, she waggled her hand. “I’ve tried to comfort you, but that’s all there is between us.”
“Of course. I appreciate your effort.” He let her pass in front of him and leaned against the doorframe, watching her walk briskly away. Now wasn’t the right time for explanations.
Would there ever be a right time for him and Holly?
****
Friends with Marc? Holly clucked her tongue as she pressed several times on the elevator call button.
What a joke. Only two minutes into this newly found friendship and she’d kissed him as if her life depended on it. Hating and loving their last encounter, she touched her lips. They were swollen and tingling. Her cheeks flamed at her healthy desire for more.
More like unhealthy, inappropriate desire.
The man was in full mourning and she’d tempted him and then responded to his kiss like a teenager in hormonal crisis.
The elevator door opened. Holly stepped in and bumped into the passenger coming out. “Sorry,” she automatically said.
“Hi, Dr. Collier.”
What was Jenna McCullough doing in the wing reserved for the attending physicians’ offices?
Holly fixed a speculative look at the redheaded nurse who sashayed toward the end of the corridor, her heady perfume wafting around. Toward Marc’s office?
Sure enough, the pretty redhead knocked on Marc’s door. Holly immediately pushed the arrows to keep the elevator door open. Nervousness assailed her. She wouldn’t follow Jenna, but she couldn’t leave without finding out what the nurse was up to. Or more precisely, how Marc would deal with Jenna?
He answered and stood at the entrance. Holly craned her neck out of the lift. Her eyes nearly popped out when she saw Jenna throw her arms around Marc’s neck.
Not again. A shiver ran up her spine as an old scene flashed through her memory. Marc kissing a nurse the day after he’d spent a last passionate night with Holly. Just before he left for Puerto Rico.
Was history repeating itself?
Her stomach twisted as she focused on the end of the hallway. Marc didn’t move to let Jenna in. He kept his arm propped against the doorframe blocking her entry to his room.
How long was the nurse going to keep her claws around his neck?
Would he let Jenna in?
Damn it, grieving or not, he had too many women gravitating toward him. She’d learned the hard way that caring for Marc was trouble for her heart. As she narrowed her eyes on the nurse, Holly promised herself not to fall into that trap again.
Marc was now holding Jenna’s hands. He dropped them and raised his head, looking beyond her in Holly’s direction. How she wished she could hear the exchange. She extended her head further out.
Marc must have seen her. He tilted his head and waved.
Holly grimaced, backed into the elevator, and stabbed at the fourth floor button. She took a deep breath to calm her raging pulse. She’d seen too much of Jenna for the day.
Darn, why did she care about Jenna’s interest in Marc?
He was a friend. Only a friend. She repeated the word to convince herself. It tumbled from her lips and speared her heart.
CHAPTER FIVE
An hour later, Holly stopped at the regular nursery to check on Terry’s son. Another little one in need of love. She found Jenna feeding him a bottle and froze in her tracks.
“Hi, Dr. Collier. The new baby is doing great. I heard Dr. Suarez supervised the anesthesia. Isn’t he something else? Working in spite of the situation.” Wisps of red hair escaped from Jenna’s cap, and her hazel eyes shone with admiration.
Holly was certainly not a jealous shrew but she couldn’t erase the image of Jenna hanging on Marc’s neck. She bit down a sharp remark and wondered if her face looked as pinched as it felt.
Be fair. Jenna was an excellent nurse who took good care of her little patients. “Don’t let any visitors come close to this baby. We’re waiting for a psych evaluation of the mother,” Holly said, ignoring Jenna’s enthusiastic approval of Marc.
“Okay.” Jenna shrugged. “Dr. Guerlin is going home, so Dr. Suarez will take care of today’s cases.”
“I see.” Holly should have known the hospital grapevine was the fastest network of information. She promised herself she’d make an effort to stop at the nurses’ station more often to learn the latest news. Did they talk about her? But who would be interested in the hospital’s spinster as she’d overheard Jenna call her once while gossiping to another nurse?
Jenna laid the sleeping baby in his isolette. “I may leave early to attend the w
ake. Are you going?”
“Nope. I’m on call. Aren’t you?” Holly arched her eyebrows.
“Stacey will cover for me. I won’t be long.”
“Whatever.” Holly bent to place her stethoscope on the baby’s chest.
The infant’s heartbeat thumped at a normal rate, but when she removed the stethoscope and clasped the metallic disc in her hand, she heard her own erratic pulse skitter like a racecar on an icy track. As a Neonatology fellow, she had no right to forbid Jenna to go to the funeral home. And hug Marc again.
Before moving to the next baby, Holly lifted narrowed eyes and scrutinized the nurse. The white skirt hugged perfect hips, and the open top buttons of her blouse revealed a hint of voluptuous breasts beneath the taut fabric.
Marc was mourning now. How long would a man with his love’em- and- leave’em reputation resist such a temptation? Why would he resist? He wasn’t married, or attached in any way.
And why would Holly care? Hadn’t she agreed to be friends—just friends?
She snatched the baby’s chart from the rail of the bed. Her stomach tight, she scribbled her report with a jittery hand.
Damn it, but she did care. And she didn’t want Marc associated with the gorgeous Jenna in any way.
****
Holly entered Recovery and froze at the door, unable to believe her eyes at the commotion greeting her. The environmentalist, her feet dangling off one side of the bed, fought with two nurses. Holly rushed to the trolley. “What’s going on here?” she asked in a controlled voice, trying not to disturb the post-surgical patients lying in parallel beds.
“Terry pulled out her IV line and tried to get up. We paged Dr. Suarez,” one of the nurses said over his shoulder as he struggled to hold the patient.
“I wanna see my baby. You got no right to take my baby,” the woman screamed, pounding a fist against her restrainer’s chest.
“Terry, calm down. I’m Dr. Collier. I just checked your baby. He’s fine and he’s recovering right now.”
The woman breathed hard, her eyes wide. “He? It’s a boy?”
